Lock nut



J. P. BURKE.

LOCK NUT Filed Sept. 26', 1944 3nventor James 7*? Bur/re.

attorn Patented May 14, 1946 UNITED I STATES PAT-Eur OFFICE James. P. Burke, Poland, '0hio, a's s'igno'r 16 Frank V L. McLaughlin, Detroit, Mich; j

Application September 26, 1944, Serial Nb. stash 2 Claims. (01. 151-21), N

This invention relates to lock nuts and more Figure 2 is a perspective view of a sheared particularly to a lock nut incorporating the desection of ribbed stock showing the same arched sirable characteristics of a quick threading nut. or bent on a transverse axis.

The principal object of the invention is the pro- Figure 3 is a perspective view of the lock nut vision of a quick threading lock nut which may section showing the punched centrally located be inexpensively formed from rolled or extruded opening.

bar stock or which may be made by the cold Figure 4 is a perspective view of the lock nut heading process where a special perimeter conshowing the. cap centralopening thereof.

tour other than square may be designed for'spe- Figure?) is a top plan'view of the lock nut showcial wrenches. ing the. edges thereof -in finished form.

A further object of the invention is the provFigure'fi is .a :cross sectional elevation taken on vision of a lock nut that will not damage or break lines 6-6 of Figure :5. the tap during the tapping operation especially Figure 7 is a cross sectional elevation similar when tapped automatically by the so-called bent to that illustrated in Figure 6 and illustrates a tap method. lock nut having a modified base shape.

It is well known that several attempts have Figure 8 is a side elevation of the lock nut in been made to provide a nut that will pinch or locked position on a bolt showing the same in clamp a screw or bolt when it is drawn down position against a member to be held thereby. tightly into fastened position. Such nuts usu- By referring to the drawing and Figure 1 in ally incorporate an arched face on the underparticular it will be seen that the primary form side of the nut and a slot or kerf cut across the of the lock nut of this invention comprises a top of the nut. This method is more or less section of rolled or extruded bar stock It) havsatisfactory but objectionable from a cost standing a pair of oppositely disposed base flanges ll point as the necessity of cutting the kerf or and an elevated central rib section l2 therein slot after the nut is threaded or so formingthe positioned longitudinally of the said ribbed stock. kerf before it is tapped seriously interferes with Nut-like sections of the ribbed stock It! are cut a successful tapping operation particularly where therefrom so as to form approximately square an automatic tapper is employed. This is due sections. By referring to Figure 2 one of these to the tap having a tendency to kick off-center nut-like sections may be seen, the same having when it tries to cut the threads through the been transversely curved either at the time of slotted portion which usually results in breaking cutting or thereafter. In Figure 2 the transverse the tap. When the slotting is done after the tapcurve may be seen as being formed on the origiping operation it is necessary to clean the burrs nal longitudinal axis of the bar stock.

out of the threads. It is, therefore, one of the In Figure 3 the section of curved bar stock is objects of this invention to provide for the elimishown punched to form a central opening 13. nation of these difliculties in the formation-of a In Figure 4 the following step in the formalock nut. tion of the lock nut is illustrated, the central A still further object of the invention is the opening l3 being tapped as indicated at I3A. It provision of a lock nut that will clamp the bolt will be observed that in the tapping operation with an ever increasing pressure as the nut is 40 forming the threaded or tapped area I3A the side drawn down against the member to be held. sections of the rib l2 are cut away.

With the foregoing and other objects in view By referring now to Figure 5 of the drawing a which will appear as the description proceeds, top plan view of the finished lock nut may be the invention resides in the combination and arseen wherein the corners of the oppositely disrangement of parts and in the details of conposed base flanges II are cut away to form a destruction hereinafter described and claimed, it sirable hexagonal s It s s ood at being understood that changes in the precise emthis is an optional shaping operation and that if bodiment of the invention herein disclosed can desired the base section II may be allowed to rebe made within the scope of what is claimed main square as illustratedinFigure 4.

without departing from the spirit of the inven- In Figure 6 a cross sectional illustration of the tion. finished lock nut shown in Figure 5 is shown, it The invention is illustrated in the accompanybeing observed that the tapped area NA is on a ing drawing, whereinvertical plane whereas the rib l 2 and base I I por Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of tions of the nut are curved. ribbed stock. In Figure 7 a similar cross sectional illustration is illustrated showing a smaller tapped area [3A and a square base II. It will be observed that at such time as the lock nut is positioned on a threaded bolt or screw and turned downwardly against a member to be held thereby, the engagement of the flanges ll of the base of the nut against the member to be held will cause the sections of the rib I2 to move toward each other.

In Figure 8 of the drawing this action is illustrated the lock nutbein'g shown in position on a threaded bolt l4 against a member I 5"thereon and arrows indicate the movement of the portions of the rib [2 toward the center so as to firmly clamp the threaded portion of the bolt l4 and thereby lock the nut in place thereon. It will be seen that in so doing the normally curved form of the lock nut is practically eliminated'and it is returned to an approximately flat section. b

It will thus be seen that the lock nut shown and.

described herein is simply formed from a T shape cross section of rolled or extruded stock so as.to form a base and rib portion, that the stock is then cut into appropriately sized sections and these sections arched on the'longitudinal axis of the rib. That these sections are then punched and tapped so that the rib forms in effect two rib sections and the base forms in effect a hinge holding the same together. The curve having been formed on the longitudinal axis of the rib sections provides for the central travel of the two rib sections at such time as the lock nut is flattened as by its threadable positioning on a bolt or screw and its being drawn into tight engagement against the head of the bolt or screw or against the member thereon to be held. In assuming its flat form the two rib sections must of necessity travel toward the center hinge on the base flanges and to be clamped against the bolt or screw and thus locking the said lock nut thereon.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1 1. A look nut comprising an integrally formed base portion and a rib portion, a threaded aperture extending through both portions, the said threaded apertin'e being of such diameter as to form openings in the parallel sides of the rib portion, the said lock nut being arched on the longitudinal axis of the said rib portion so as to form an unsupported center area in the said base portion. 

